Chilly Snow Cloud Guide

Overview

Brrr! This cloud may look chilly but we promise it won't give you the cold shoulder!

This is part of our Alpenglow Beginning Soldering weather-themed series. It is a solder-it-yourself through-hole board that uses self-flashing blue LEDs.

Not all weather is sunshine and rainbows! Combined with our Happy Rain Cloud and Angry Storm Cloud, these three boards are great introductions to through-hole soldering that are quick to build and sure to make you smile! Our Sunny Surprise and Radiant Rainbow are the perfect follow-ons that teach a few more skills.

Its snowflakes are exposed copper covered with HASL-lead free solder giving it it's shiny (and chilly) look.

*CR2032 battery included*

PCBs fabricated by PCBWay

Solder the Switch and the Battery Holder

The design on this board is super simple so you can solder the components on in any order. Personally, I like to start with the switch and battery holder. I made the holes for the battery holder snug so with a little pressure it should snap into place for easy soldering!


If you're having trouble keeping the board from moving when soldering you can use a piece of tape to hold the board down. Just be sure not to have the tape too close to where you are soldering your joint!


*Note: The battery holder and switch are made of metal so they get hot when soldering. Be careful touching them during and directly after soldering!


*I like to add a bit of extra solder so the clouds eyes look nice and smooth.

Solder the LEDs

I find it helpful to solder the 2 outer LEDs first and the middle on last. I usually use a spool of solder wick to support the other side of the board while soldering. (you can use anything that's a similar height to the board)


*Note: LEDs are directional!  be sure to match the long and short legs with the long and short indicators.

Insert Battery and Turn On!

The switch is marked with ON and OFF.

Match the + side of the battery to the + side of the battery holder.

Place Magnet or Adhesive Pin (optional)

The magnets are very strong, use caution when handling. Place magnet on the battery holder, this will only work if the battery is installed. You can then attach it to any magnetic surface like your fridge.


If you'd like to wear your badge, you can use the ahdesive back pin provided in your kit. Remove the strip covering the adhesive and firmly press to the battery holder. You can then pin the badge to your shirt.

Elsewhere on the Web

Downloads

How to download our BOM from GitHub:
1. Click the BOM button above
2. Right click over the raw data
3. Select save as and save the CSV file
Have any questions?  Contact us!